Sibling Set-Ups
by LizCrazy
Summary: Belarus and Russia try to 'help' their sister, by setting Ukraine up with someone. Unfortunately, they are also protective, have high standards, and are VERY bad match-makers. Rated T for language, themes, ect. Warnings: Incest, Rusbel Marriage and kid, OCs.
1. The Search Begins

**Author Note:**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia (obviously) Ukraine, Russia, or Belarus, or any other canon characters that may be used in future chapters. I do however own Moscow, and the text for this fic.**

 **if you spot any grammatical and/or spelling (disregarding the factor I do NOT** **use American grammar and spelling) please point them out. The same applies to translation errors as I only have the unreliable Google translate.**

 **So far the translations used are:**

 **Siastra = Belarusian for Sister**

 **Sestra = Russian for Sister**

 **Da = Russian for yes**

 **Nyet = Russian for no**

 **Dy = Belarusian for yes**

 **Spasiba = Russian for Thanks/Thank you**

 **Pryvit = Ukrainian for Hi/Hello**

 **Anyways, hope you enjoyed my fiction so far, and please leave a nice review!**

 **~Liz**

* * *

Iryna Rusivna Chernenka sighed as she watched her siblings, Natalya Rusovna Braginskaya and Ivan Rusovich Braginsky, hugging and kissing at the far end of their garden.

The two younger Nations had _finally_ , after all Natalya's nagging, chasing and threatening, married 5 years previously, and ever since they'd been obsessively, almost _sickeningly_ loved-up and all over each other. It wasn't that she wasn't happy for them. It wasn't that it was incest. It wasn't even that her sister's obsession unnerved her just _slightly_.

It was just, and it seemed silly really, she felt lonely, pushed out. She didn't see them often, especially not now they were 'busy' with each other, and despite having a new niece, aged three, who sat babbling in her lap, she didn't have anyone to _love._ Not like they did, anyway. No one was going to hold her in the sunset and laugh as they cuddled and kissed. It didn't look like _she_ was going to get married and 'live happily ever after' with her 'soul mate' anytime soon.

Her thoughts were just heading off down a depressing track when, as if on cue, her little niece, Nastasya, interrupted them, as she must have begun to get hungry or something, for she began to cry, screaming out for her mother or father. Russia and Belarus tore themselves away from each other and hurried over to attend to the noisy young Personification of Moscow.

As Natalya scooped up her daughter and headed inside to calm her and tend to her, Ivan turned to his older sister, beckoning her into the house too, and noticed how sad she looked. He tilted his head curiously. "Big Sestra?" He questioned softly. "You are alright, da? You don't have to stay here with us, not if you really don't want to." He felt a little guilty, as though the trip had been forced, as he'd 'asked' her to come over by pointing out the fact they didn't really see her very much these days.

She'd told him not to pressure or try to guilt-trip her, and they'd argued back and forth for a while before she'd finally agreed to come and stay with them for a few days. Now, the first day was drawing to a close and he'd been avoiding approaching her about this.

But the Ukrainian nodded. "I'm fine, Vanya." She answered, quick, to the point and cool. Ivan flinched. His big sister was the warmest natured one of their family. She _must_ still be angry with him.

"Look, if it's about the way we were speaking on the phone..." He began, almost nervous. His younger sibling's overly obsessive affections might have often unnerved him, but the seemingly sweet Ukraine could scare him too, on occasion. He'd seen her in their younger days, when she'd been raising him and Natalya, defending them furiously. He'd seen her anger. And he didn't like it. And there was no doubt in Ivan's mind that even though these days her initial approach to people had mellowed, and she usually came across very innocent and sweet, his big sister was still a strong woman with a fearsome temper.

However, the response from Ukraine was again not what Russia anticipated. She merely laughed a little. "That? It's no big deal, Vanya. I understand that now. We made up, remember? You've been forgiven, Brother. Now shall we go in? I'm sure Nat could use some help." The elder sibling stood, extending an arm to walk with him.

He smiled but didn't take her arm just yet. "That's good, da? But it's not so because something still upsets you. We will not go in until you tell me who has been making you hurt."

For a long time, she didn't answer but looked away from him again. "It's just that...You and Nata...You're so happy together. And well, I'm starting to think I'm not good enough to ever find a love like that." She replied at long last, raising her teal eyes to look sadly at Ivan, tears not far away, as was fairly common with the Republic of Ukraine.

He paused and sighed, not sure how to comfort her. "You'll always be loved. There's us. And I'm sure other people must fall for you. You have a big heart, da?" He told her.

For a moment, Iryna glared, thinking he was making fun of her chest size again. But then she relaxed and nodded slightly. "Well, I guess you're right. I just need to find someone who wants that. And someone who I'm willing to let into my heart..." She mused out loud.

At that minute, Belarus emerged from the kitchen looking hassled. "Brother, Sister, are you two coming in? Moscow wants her father. And it's getting late, it is colder out here in the evenings, if you get sick-" She glanced between them as she ranted, and the looks on their faces stopped her in her tracks, making her aware that they must have been having an important conversation. _Without her_. "Wait...Tell me what's going on first." She demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

"Coming, Natasha." Ivan answered, finally taking Iryna's outstretched arm and walked towards his waiting wife. But her second comment caught him off-guard, and he answered in rush, coming across blunt. "We were just talking Sestra's need for a boyfriend."

"We'll have to find her a partner then, won't we, Big Brother?" Natalya looked from one of her elder siblings to the other as Ivan grinned and nodded enthusiastically, while the Ukrainian woman cringed silently and regretted her confession to her brother. With those two finding her a partner, Heaven only knew who, or _what,_ she might end up on a date with...


	2. Terrible Plan Number 1

The next morning, Ukraine awoke to someone jogging her arm. Opening up her big blue eyes and glancing sleepily upwards, she saw a blurry outline that she eventually identified as Belarus, staring down from where she'd been standing over her. "Sister...? What's going on?" She groaned.

Natalya let go of her and began to answer. "We have planning to do, Big Sister. Come on, come on! A lot of work needs doing." She told her in a rush.

Rubbing sleep from her eyes, the Ukrainian frowned at her sister. "What are you on about, Natalya? I'm supposed to be on _holiday_ here."

"Yes, but Big Brother and I are going to be finding you a partner, remember? Setting people up successfully and creating love won't be _easy_." The Belarusian told her firmly, prodding at her again, determined to get the other woman up and interested in what they were going to attempt.

Sighing, but sensing that there was little point in arguing with the stubborn younger Nation, Iryna rolled out of bed. "Give me five minutes to get ready, Nat..." She muttered as she brushed herself off and tried to wake up a little more.

"Very well." Her sister agreed. "But then you must come and meet with Brother and I downstairs, in the dining room." She added bossily, before leaving the room to allow her eldest sibling to dress and prepare for the day. It seemed Natalya was serious about this matchmaking then.

Giving another sigh, Iryna headed over to her wardrobe and yanked it open, hunting out a white blouse and blue overalls, as she did on any typical day. She dressed quickly, before running a brush through her short, ashen blonde hair and fixing her usual greenish yellow headband and black hairpins in place.

When she was sure she was ready, the Ukrainian woman set off downstairs and arrived in the dining room doorway shortly, to be greeted by the sight of her younger siblings rustling through an unnervingly large number of papers marked 'plans' with frightening enthusiasm.

"Vanya, Natasha, I am here now!" She called out, using her diminutive 'pet' names for them, in hopes of lightening the increasingly intense mood.

"Ah, Irunya." Natalya answered, standing up to turn and look at her sister as she spoke, also using the oldest sibling's diminutive. She gestured for Iryna to take a seat at the paper scattered table.

Sitting down beside her brother, Ukraine leant her elbow on top of a pile of papers. They creased inwards with a soft squelch. She winced and lifted up her arm, moving the papers aside to reveal a messily squashed piece of jam covered toast, sticky and probably cold.

"Oh, so that is what happened to mine and Natasha's breakfast, da?" Ivan observed casually.

Shaking her head, the motherly elder sibling pushed the papers into a neater pile in the centre of the table and disappeared to dispose of the cold, splattered remains of breakfast.

She soon reappeared and returned to her seat, still looking despairing. "Sometimes, I swear you two aren't responsible enough to be independent Nations. You haven't mentally grown up at all." She muttered, in scolding tones.

As their elder sister rebuked them, Russia pouted and Belarus frowned, folding her arms as she sat back down on the other side of their brother.

"Hm, I disagree, Sister. But that is not why we are here. It is irrelevant to my plans." She retorted as she delved back into the pile of papers, undoing the Ukrainian's tidying easily, in a matter of seconds.

At long last, the youngest of the three found the particular piece of paper she'd been searching for. "Alright, so the first stage. We are having a little...quiz of sorts. For you." She told the other Female.

"Quiz?" Ukraine raised an eyebrow, unsure what to expect from a 'quiz' written by her siblings. They were, at best, unpredictable.

"Da, because quizzes are fun! Also, there is some stuff Natasha thinks we should know first." Ivan explained.

"Brother is correct." the blonde Belarusian nodded in agreement. "So, first question."

As she said that, the Russian male produced a notebook. Seeing his older sister glance between them nervously, he smiled sweetly at her. "Don't worry, Sister. I am just taking a few harmless notes."

Irina _tried_ to be reassured, but something about it just made her nervous. Whether it was the knowledge that her younger siblings were about as far from stable as a very fast horse that had bolted a very long time ago, or her sister's cold, emotionless face as she cleared her throat to begin the 'quiz', she wasn't sure, but she couldn't relax.

After clearing her throat, Natalya read quickly from her paper, firing questions at her older sister. "First of all, do you actually _like_ anyone in particular?" She asked.

Ukraine paused to think, before shaking her head, so her sister continued questioning her as her brother scribbled away in the background.

Later, as she finished off their questionnaire, the Belarusian leant over her brother's shoulder and squinted down at the notes he'd been taking, scowling. They hadn't narrowed anything down at all.

"...Well, _that helped_. I guess we get every nation to date you then..." She muttered. Iryna laughed nervously, hoping that her little sister was saying it sarcastically.

"I think we may need a different plan." Russia cut in, frowning at their lack of success.

At that, Ukraine just lay her head in her hands and regretted mentioning her love life to them for about the 100th time since the incident the night before...

What on _Earth_ were those two going to do next? Did she _really_ want to know? The Ukrainian was pretty sure she didn't. Then again, her siblings were _trying_ to be helpful and they _did_ care about her. Surely their next plan couldn't be _too_ bad?

Funnily enough, almost as soon as she thought it, Iryna just _knew_ she'd regret that idea, too...


	3. Terrible Plan Number 2

It turned out the latest plan Ukraine's siblings had concocted was stealing her phone book.

Iryna discovered this after managing to drag them away from the subject of planning for lunch. When she returned with the food, she found only Ivan, grinning in a very guilty looking manner at her.

"Where's Natasha?" She asked, a little sharply due to her suspicion that they were up to something.

As it happened, the two younger siblings _had_ planned an excuse, but for Ivan, lying to his 'Dear Sister' didn't come easily, and he faltered. "Uh...She went..."

The motherly Ukrainian Republic knew from a long list of past experiences when her younger brother was trying to get away with deceiving her and folded her arms, glowering. She wasn't going to fall for _that._ "Natasha went _where,_ Vanya?!" Iryna demanded.

Russia fiddled uncomfortably with the end of his scarf. He was in a place he never wanted to be, between his two beloved sisters. "Ah, she's..."

At that moment, Natalya re-entered the room, as if she had known they were talking about her. Iryna's phone book was hidden behind her back, making her look very shifty.

Turning to face her sister as she heard the door shut, Ukraine swapped her glare to Belarus, leaving a decidedly relieved Brother behind them. "Well, Natalya, would _you_ care to tell me what's going on here?" The question was entirely rhetorical, and the younger two Slavic siblings knew that just from her tone.

Unlike her well-meaning sibling, Natalya was both prepared for and used to going through the other Nation's things. She 'checked up' on her family by going through their trash, and any other belongings she could get to, at fairly regular intervals. So the Belarusian didn't look particularly uncomfortable about being caught. Nor did she see the need to lie.

"Plan two." She answered plainly.

With those two words, Belarus brought back Iryna's nervous feeling about this whole thing, and her teal eyes changed from fiercely narrowed to widened in concern. "Plan _two?_ " The incredulous woman enquired.

Natalya nodded her head. "Da, plan two. To call the people who you are close to." The younger sister explained, pulling the book out and showing it her eldest sibling.

Sighing, the Ukrainian dropped her head into her hands and muttered, "Instead of stealing, next time you could just _ask_ me?"

"That," Belarus retorted, "Was this morning's plan, and it failed. Now we must try again."

In response, Iryna raised her head again, looking very nervous. The precious few friends she had managed to gain _away_ from her siblings might now by frightened off be a sudden phone call from Belarus.

Ivan must have picked up on her worries. Well, it was hard not to, if you judged by the Ukrainian's face.

Laughing slightly, the Russian went over to reassure her. "Do not worry, Sestra! I will do the talking, da? Because Natasha is irresponsible with the phone..." Here the Belarusian pouted, but, remembering her past 'prank calls', could hardly argue.

The oldest sibling, meanwhile, was not sure if she should be reassured at all by that comment or not. For a start, her brother was not exactly renowned for making polite, diplomatic phone calls himself.

Secondly, the plan itself was still bothering her, as was the general idea of her siblings, to whom being helpful never had come naturally, trying to find her 'True love'.

Still, they _were_ trying, so again, Iryna let it slip and shrugged. "Alright, but just...Be nice, okay?"

"Of course!" Ivan innocently grinned at her, as if implying he would never be anything else.

Ukraine didn't buy it. She knew her Little Brother all too well. "I _mean_ it, Vanya."

Her tone said _everything._ Russia gulped slightly and nodded, a little more sincerely.

And he honestly did have good intentions when he opened up his sister's phone book. There was a list of numbers, most of which he recognised, since they belonged to the other National personifications, and another, neatly alphabetically ordered, list of the corresponding names.

Unfortunately, the first name on the list was America, and those good intentions soon disappeared, replaced by a very bad mood. The idea of America dating his sister wasn't one Russia found particularly pleasant. Still, a certain Belarusian had left instructions to call _everyone_ on the list, and Natalya _not_ getting her own way was, he recalled from past experience, never a very nice thing to have to deal with.

So despite his personal opinion on the subject, he dutifully dialled the number and waited, muttering irritably at the ringing phone.

There was some clattering as the phone was picked up, a muffled crackling of background noise, then Alfred's annoying, 'Yo?' greeted him, right down his ear.

He gritted his teeth and forced a smile. Why did his Big Sister not only want to be friends with but then expect _him_ to be _nice_ to, this idiot?

Alfred, meanwhile, was rather bemused that no one was speaking, and a little irritated by it. He had left off during the hardest round of his favourite video game for this crap, and now Tony was beating his highest score.

"Anyone there?" He prodded.

The American man's voice managed to snap Ivan out of his grumpy thoughts. "Uh...Da." He answered.

Alfred sighed softly. "Oh my god, it's Commie...What do you want now?"

Struggling to ignore that remark, the Russian man rolled his eyes and answered. "To talk to you about Sestra..."

There was a slightly louder and more meaningful sigh from the American's end of the phone line. "Look, dude, _you_ married her. It's _your_ problem if she's following you or whatever..."

"Not Natalya...Other Sestra." He corrected.

"Ah...You mean ti-...Uh...Irina?" Alfred realised, also having to force himself to remain polite, as, despite his 'sort of friendship' with Ukraine, he could get very easily distracted by her...Physical assets.

Ivan gritted his teeth slightly harder as it dawned on him what America had been going to say, and he mentally crossed the other Nation of the list. "Nevermind...You shouldn't be talking to her anyway." He muttered, completely failing to heed what Ukraine had tried to tell him about not ruining her friendships.

"Uh...Okay?" The bemused Alfred stared at the dead receiver as the Russian hung up. "The hell was that about...?" He questioned to himself...then remembering his game, he put the phone down and hurried off, determined not to let an Alien _or_ a Russian get the better of him.


	4. Success?

One...Two...Three...Ivan counted in his head to calm himself down after his interaction with America, before glancing back at his sister's lists. He suspected she'd written down _all_ of the Nation's names and begged them for the numbers in the hope of making some more friends, since she had far more numbers than she had people who could be called real friends, but he shrugged. That wasn't why he was here.

So the Russian dialled Austria's number and waited. The phone rang a few times, and was finally answered. "Hello?" A Female voice said questioningly.

Bemused for a few moments, Ivan scrambled to place the woman's voice. "...Hungary?" He asked after a while. "I am trying to reach Austria...This _is_ his number, da?" He blinked, trying to work out if perhaps the Austrian had given his sister a false number, and planning chaotic revenge if he had.

"Of course, but Mr. Austria isn't here right now. What do you want?" Elizaveta replied quite calmly, as though there was nothing unusual about her being in Austria's house when he wasn't.

"Where is he and when will he be back? I have important things to say to him."

The Hungarian woman seemed to be giggling about something, and talking to someone in the background. "Well, he's staying with Switzerland for a while, so I don't advice trying to get in touch. They're probably... Ahem...Very busy!" She told him in a suggestive tone that the somewhat oblivious Russian man missed completely.

"Da, Alright then...But if Austria is away, why are you in his house?" Ivan asked curiously as it dawned on him that Elizaveta probably shouldn't be in Roderich's home while he wasn't.

"Oh, well, since Prussia and I are on our honeymoon, Gil asked if we could use his house while he's busy with his boyfriend!" She answered cheerfully, before more background noise interrupted them and a certain Prussian enquired loudly, "Wait, what? I _asked_? Nah, I just took his keys! Kesesese!" Followed by Hungarian swearing and a _thud!_ as a skillet collided with Gilbert.

Russia sighed and hung up. Amusing as he found listening to Prussia's wife attacking him, his mission there was finished. According to the gossiping newlyweds, Austria was in a relationship already, so he needed to ask yet another of Ukraine's acquaintances.

His eyes flickered back to the list in his sister's book beside him. The next name was Belarus, but he knew for a fact that his overly clingy wife wasn't going to be interested in dating _anyone_ else, let alone their elder sister, so he moved on to Belgium, calling her number and waiting for an answer.

Emma picked up her phone and called out a cheery, "Hello, Irunya!"

Clearly she'd checked the contact name and assumed he was his sister, since he was using her phone. After pondering playing along for a few minutes, Ivan remembered that he was _supposed_ to be taking this seriously, and amusing as it would be to pretend to be Iryna, it would probably make both his sisters very, _very_ angry with him. Besides, prank calling people seemed to be more Natalya's forte, and he probably couldn't pull off Ukraine's voice very convincingly, so eventually he answered her.

"Nyet, this is Ivan, but I am needing to speak to you about Big Sister." The Russian explained.

There was a slight pause before the Belgian lady replied, her voice taking on a curious tone, "What about her?" She questioned him.

"Well, Natasha and I are looking for a date for her." He came straight to the point, telling her exactly why he had phoned her.

"I'd love to help you there, Ivan, but I promised my little brother I'd help him out at his place this week. I'll tell everyone I know, though!" She promised, so enthusiastically that Russia almost agreed with her, before it finally occurred to the slightly oblivious Male Nation that that may embarrass or even upset his Big Brother.

However, by the time he'd realised this, Emma had said her cheery goodbyes and hung up, leaving a slightly guilty Russian muttering an annoyed _'Kol Kol Kol..._ ' at the dead phone. He didn't appreciate people hanging up on him without letting him finish talking.

It was then that the phone rang loudly in his hand, making him jump, almost drop the phone and exclaim quite rudely. He quickly glanced around to make sure he hadn't offended either of his sisters, though that was unlikely, or woken up his daughter and taught her a word she shouldn't know at her age. Once he was satisfied that his swearing had gone unnoticed, he pressed the button to answer the call.

"Da? Hello?"

"Uh, hey, listen dude..."

Ivan bristled slightly when he heard Alfred's voice again, glaring fiercely at the hallway wall. "What is it that _you_ want?!" He snapped, more than a little irritable at the idea of having to speak to the American, especially after their earlier disagreement.

Meanwhile, America had reclaimed his game high score and felt that his _epic_ victory was tarnished by the niggling feeling of guilt in the back of his mind. Iryna, his friend, was probably feeling lonely if she'd resorted to using her slightly unstable brother as a dating service, and the first thing his stupid brain had come up with to do was comment rudely about her...Physical attributes. _Not_ very heroic, he scolded himself mentally, before continuing.

"Well...I'm sorry about earlier. Man, I really suck for that. Maybe a double date would make up for it? Y'know, you can bring your stal-wife, and I'll see if I can cheer up Ukraine for you?" He suggested, hoping to smooth over his mistakes to avoid upsetting a friend, _and_ getting murdered by her less-than-normal relatives.

Choosing to ignore the insult towards Natalya, his personal grudges and his private opinions on spending time with Alfred, if not to avoid a fight, then for the sake of his Elder Sestra, Ivan gritted his teeth and nodded. "Oh, da, don't worry about it...That sounds _lovely_..." He answered with a slightly frightening forced smile.


	5. Disastrous Double Dates

Iryna Rusivna Chernenka nervously smoothed out the skirt of her summer dress and adjusted her headband, checking the mirror one last time before she grabbed her handbag and headed downstairs.

Truth be told, she was more nervous about this 'double date' with her siblings and America than her own appearance. She wasn't one hundred percent certain that having Alfred, Natalya, and Ivan in one room and expecting them to be civil to one another was a very good idea, but it was all arranged now, so she could do little more than _hope_ that everything would be okay.

When the Ukrainian woman reached the bottom of the stairs, she was greeted by her brother and sister. They were waiting in the hallway in fancy clothes and badly masked foul moods, probably concerning the idea of spending a long time around Alfred F. Jones, her friend and 'date' for the next few hours, at least. Natalya had at least _tried_ to be friends with Alfred for a little while, but neither of them seemed to _actually_ be able to get along with the other. As for Russia and America's attempts to tolerate one another...Iryna preferred not to think about _them._

But her siblings _had_ offered to help her find 'love' _and_ accepted Alfred's invitation to a 'double date', even though she had told them that they didn't _have_ to. In fact, much as she loved them and appreciated their attempts to help cheer her up, she'd rather they _weren't_ on her date. She wasn't exactly sure that they could be guaranteed to be nice.

Still, Ukraine shrugged it off. After all, they had volunteered and, when she tried to change their minds, they had actually _insisted,_ so she supposed it was their problem if they didn't wish to tolerate her friend for however long their date was going to be.

So the three siblings headed out, walking along in relative silence, which was only broken by the three-year-old Nastasya playfully babbling as she swung off Ivan's arm. They were supposed to be meeting Alfred at a rather fancy local restaurant that the American man had reserved, although Iryna suspected he was just trying to show off to her. She didn't really mind, though...It was probably a safer bet than inviting her siblings to McDonald's or something. They had high standards and volatile tempers, and she supposed she was fortunate in the fact that America was already aware of that, and hopefully wouldn't be _too_ alarmed by them. _Hopefully._

As they reached the restaurant, the Ukrainian cut her thoughts short with a brief prayer to _anyone_ capable of making this go decently, or at least not end with a fight, and headed inside, aware of her family trailing after her to the till area.

"Uh...We have a reservation here..." She timidly explained to the nearest staff member, feeling a little out of place in this unfamiliar setting with her unusual family in tow. But the member of staff was perfectly nice, and after checking that they were, indeed, the people on the reserved notice, he showed them to their table, where Alfred was already waiting.

The American man greeted her and her family with a big grin typical of him. "Hey, Irina!" He beamed as he stood up and hugged her tightly, glaring at Ivan over her shoulder, which in turn made Natalya scowl at him.

"Hello, Al...I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long." The blissfully unaware Ukrainian lady answered politely as she warmly returned her friend's embrace before taking the seat beside him.

"Nah, it's fine..." Alfred nodded at her as he sat back down next to her, glancing at the other guests again, looking distinctly uncomfortable around them. He decided it'd probably be for the best if he focused his attention on Iryna herself, rather than her less than friendly siblings, and turned back to her. "So how was your day? Did you do anything fun?" He began to attempt small talk while the others got themselves settled down.

This prompted Iryna to glance across at her siblings too and pause. It hadn't exactly been _fun_ prepping for the date and keeping them calm, not to mention trying to explain to her niece what was going to happen and why, although in fewer bias terms than Natalya and Ivan had...But she did, generally speaking, love them and actually enjoy their company. "It wasn't bad." She conceded with a small smile. "We didn't do anything special, but it wasn't bad. What about you?" She added politely.

"Ah..." America nodded as he caught her subtle glance at the others and realised what she meant by 'not bad'. "My day wasn't bad either. Obviously, I had to spend a lot of time travelling to get here, but I had fun along the way!" He quickly and enthusiastically moved the conversation on again with more small talk to avoid discussing the Ukrainian's siblings.

They chattered for a while, trying to ignore the other couple sitting opposite them whispering and muttering in a slightly disconcerting fashion, and Nastasya sitting at the end of the table, awkwardly staring at them, until a member of staff brought some menus across to their table. After a few minutes, when everyone had ordered, the awkwardness returned during the wait for the food.

"Soo..." The self-proclaimed hero made a brave stab at conversation with his date's surly siblings. "How have you been, recently? Y'know, since the wedding and all that...Have you settled down alright and stopped being quite so crazy?" He asked casually, innocently slipping his arm around back of the Ukrainian woman's chair and relaxing as he tried to lighten the tense mood.

Ivan's response was a look of condescending disdain and a muttered, "Da, I suppose so.", but Natalya was less subtle in her disapproval of both his words and his actions, and stretched out a leg under the table, ramming her sharp high heel into his shins.

Alfred pulled a face, tensing up. "Are you alright?" Iryna questioned him in a concerned tone, oblivious to Belarus's actions, but able to see the American's pain in his face.

He gritted his teeth and glared at the smirking Belarusian and her grinning brother across the table. " _Yeah, sure."_ He nodded, defiantly draping his arm around her shoulders and thinking some rude words about the other East Slavic Nations, mostly just to make himself feel better.

The Ukrainian woman gave her siblings a dubious glance, not sure that their smug looks were a good sign, and wriggled out of Alfred's grip, deciding it was best not to push their luck and cause the overprotective duo to start a fight with her friend and date. Fortunately for her, the food swiftly arrived and everyone was adequately distracted while they ate.

It was, however, still very awkward, with no one talking in case of an argument or fight started. Even little comments and actions like Alfred's attempted small talk were obviously out. They just ended up sitting in silence, eating their expensive meals, which were followed by an argument between America, who had agreed to 'treat' Ukraine by paying for her meal alongside his, and Russia, who had been relishing the opportunity to get free stuff out of Alfred. The debate about who was paying for what wasn't helped by Belarus, who stood next to Ivan and scowled at Alfred, twirling her knife threateningly.

It was eventually solved when Ukraine decided that it would be best for them all to pay for their individual meals after all. So they split their bill four ways, with Ivan paying for his daughter's meal and his own, then the others just paying for their own food.

The walk home was the worst part, though, since Alfred somehow got the idea that he should walk Iryna home, and took her by the hand as they left the restaurant, which alone gained some glares from her matchmakers and self-appointed protectors. But then he decided that, in order to be able to have a proper date away from her siblings, he should start running, pulling Iryna along with him. She didn't see this as a problem at first, giggling as she ran alongside her date, assuming they were playing some kind of game.

Then one of Natalya's throwing knives whizzed past her ear and it dawned on her that this was yet another battle between her friend and her siblings. If they had to fight over small talk, argue about bills and run away to get some peace, it wasn't going to be a very successful match. Sighing, she dropped the American man's hand and stopped running.

"Alfred, stop..." She told him, a little out of breath and eager to calm the situation down.

"Not sure I want to...Your crazy sister is trying to kill me!" Alfred panted, slowly down in spite of his protests.

"No...No, she isn't." Iryna replied hesitantly, not entirely sure that that was true. "She just doesn't like people running away from her..." She added, nervously glancing over her shoulder as Natalya caught them up and fixed Alfred with a murderous look. Ivan pulled alongside her too, with Nastasya on his shoulders, and muttered, "Tell me about it..." To himself, recollecting the times that Natalya had chased him with a knife too.

"Yeah, well, maybe I wouldn't run away if those two weren't crazy in the first place..." America answered in a sullen mumble, his attempted tact well and truly discarded.

Sighing again, the Ukrainian nodded, "I have to agree. Our friendship is good but double dates...Not so much."


	6. Dates And Plans

"You're too good for him anyway!" Natalya Rusovna Braginskaya fiercely informed her elder sister as she slammed the breakfast plates onto the table so hard that it was a wonder they didn't shatter.

It was the morning after the failed double date, and the family had gathered around the table to eat, and apparently discuss Ukraine's love life again. Iryna only sighed in response as she sipped her coffee and made a mental note to insist on going on first dates on her own in future. She had a feeling that it would be much more successful.

Ivan patted her shoulder sympathetically, mistaking her sigh for disappointment at the failure of her sibling's attempted matchmaking. "Don't worry, Big Sister, we'll find you someone eventually. You're very lovable, after all, and Natasha never gives up!" He announced reassuringly, or at least, in a manner that he thought was reassuring. His words failed to comfort the Ukrainian woman, who was doubting whether her eccentric brother and sister were the best people to seek romantic advice from, for about the hundredth time since this whole ordeal had begun.

Fortunately, her rather down in the dumps thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of the phone, which made the Russian man cease his attempts to be comforting and go to deal with the phone call.

While her brother answered whoever was calling, her sister began aggressively cutting up and eating her breakfast as though she was imagining that it was Alfred's spine. She was treating this as a far larger problem than it was, Iryna noted. Natalya seemed to think that this 'setback' had broken Ukraine's heart or something.

The elder Female Nation tentatively set her coffee cup down and began eating her breakfast, preferring to look at her young niece, on the pretext of making sure Moscow didn't make too much mess, rather than watching the Belarusian woman's intense attack on her pancakes and listening to the other woman's rants.

"Big Sister!" Russia mercifully interrupted before Belarus got too carried away with her ranting. He was peering around the door frame, holding the phone in one hand and waving at her in order to get her attention. "The phone call is for you, da?" He explained, gesturing at the receiver.

Nodding, the Ukrainian placed her coffee down and scurried off to answer the phone, leaving Ivan to deal with their overzealous younger sister's very strong opinions on her love life.

"Pryvit?" She greeted uncertainly into the phone as she took it from her brother and wandered into the hallway for privacy, curious as to who was calling her, especially on her sibling's landline number.

"Bonjour, Ma Chérie Ukraine! It is I, France! La Belgique mentioned that you have problems with love, non?" Francis Bonnefoy's cheerful and slightly over-enthusiastic voice called to her down the phone line.

"Well..." Iryna faltered, not sure if she needed another 'romantic helper'...But the scarily enthusiastic voice of a certain Belarusian informing her brother that they were 'in deep, deep love and must find her an equally wonderful relationship' could be heard from the other room, causing her to admit defeat. "I guess you _could_ say that..." She dubiously conceded.

"Well, don't worry, Ma Chérie, I have the perfect solution!" The Frenchman answered ecstatically.

Iryna hesitantly nodded, "Oh?" She questioned, slightly curious but also a little concerned about what might come next.

"You should come on a date with me, the country of love!" Francis happily proclaimed with a small chuckle.

"Umm..." The Ukrainian woman paused, mumbling uncertainly as she glanced in the direction of her siblings and wondered if she should talk to them about this, given the nature of their ongoing 'project', but she shrugged that idea off. She would tell them later when France wasn't still on the phone...Or they may decide to get a little _too_ involved again.

After a few long seeming seconds of consideration, she broke the silence, "That'd be nice," She agreed, "When are you free?"

France's signature laugh could be heard briefly once again, prefacing his answer of, "Whenever you are, of course, Chérie!"

Eventually, the two Nations agreed to go to a Cinema near Ukraine's Brother's home that evening for their 'date', and once the arrangements were finished, they said their goodbyes and hung up. Then Iryna made her way back to the breakfast table, greeting her younger siblings and her niece with a smile, even though Natalya had vacated her own seat and was clinging to Ivan in a sweet but slightly concerning manner, while Nastasya was polishing off the remnants of the Ukrainian's own breakfast.

"Vanya, Natasha!" She called out to attract her siblings' attention. After all, she ought to share her news with them.

Natalya disentangled herself from Ivan as she turned to look at her Big Sister. This was the only thing that drew Russia's attention to the elder woman as well since he'd previously been distracted by the clingy Belarusian.

"Da?" He questioned, blinking up at his motherly eldest sibling curiously, "Was it important? Or is France just planning a prank war with England at the next meeting again?" He added, visibly amused by the memories of the last ruined world conference, after Francis and England had contacted everyone they knew and encouraged mass chaos just to frustrate one another.

 _"No, Vanya!"_ The Ukrainian scolded, her voice adopting a disapproving tone at his glee when recalling the disarray of what had begun as a serious meeting. Then she softened, as she wasn't the type to stay angry for long, especially not with her Dear Little Brother, "At least, not that he mentioned. He just phoned to ask me out." She revealed, blushing slightly and mentally preparing to run if her relatives turned too overprotective.

"Hmm...Progress," Was Belarus's initial response. It was swiftly followed by, "If he breaks your heart, I'm going to gut him." Her sister's emotionless tone and expression as she uttered that threat were unnerving, but not unexpected. Ukraine merely took a subtle step back and nodded, "Well...I'm sure he won't. We're only going to see a film, after all."

"Well, that's fun! We're invited again, da?" Ivan asked, quickly changing the tone before Natalya continued with her threats.

Iryna's response was a long pause. She wasn't convinced that another double date was the best idea. Even if they were trying to help, it might make things worse. Her dates would probably be more nervous if her less than ordinary siblings were constantly present and it may ruin things. "Um...No, I don't think so. Sorry, Dear!" She finally answered, being as polite about the situation as possible.

Her brother pouted at her and looked as though he was considering voicing an objection, but the youngest of the Eastern Slavic Nations looked as though an idea was brewing in her mind, raising her hand in a gesture to silence him. Their older sibling decided that Natalya with an idea and Ivan in an objectionable mood weren't good signs, and backed away faster.

"Well, I better go and...Decide what to wear! Bye!" She called as she backed out of the door. She loved her siblings, but they were clearly up to something and given the context of their previous conversation, she was dreading finding out what it might be...


	7. At The Cinema

Iryna Chernenka opened the door to her Little Brother's car and peered through the dim light of the evening to see if her date was waiting for her. She had, albeit slightly hesitantly, allowed Ivan to drive her to the Cinema. It at least kept her protective siblings assured that she was safe and it was a slight comfort to her to know that, if Francis failed to show up, she wouldn't be stood in the cold and dusk by herself for hours on end.

They needn't have worried though, as the French man was already leaning against the Cinema wall and, upon seeing the Slavic siblings, he waved cheerfully to them. Ukraine waved back, then leant in to hug Ivan goodbye for the time being, "Thank you for lift, Brother! I'll see you again soon!" She told him with a smile.

"Da, okay. Bye-bye, Sestra!" He nodded, giving her a quick hug in return before letting her get out of the car. "Have fun!" Was Ivan's last comment, shouted through the wound-down window as he drove past the couple.

His Ukrainian Sister's cheeks flushed slightly and she sighed at her sibling's enthusiasm with all this matchmaking stuff...He was getting as zealously invested as Natalya was in her love life, although in a slightly less unnerving way.

Francis didn't seem to mind Ivan's good-natured antics though, merely greeting her with a quick, gentle kiss on her cheek and a cheerful, "Bonsoir, Ma Chérie! Are you looking forward to the film?" He asked her with a smile.

"Hello," She answered with a smile of her own, graciously accepting his greeting kiss, "I think so, I've heard its good!" She nodded in reply to his question as they walked side-by-side towards the cinema's entrance, "What do you think?"

"It's French, of course it's good!" He beamed at her, his tone both prideful and playful. The Ukrainian woman just smiled slightly, letting him have his harmless bragging moments and wondering quietly what the film would be like. At least tonight should be more relaxed than her previous date, or so she hoped. She didn't want to have to run away from people or sit in a tense atmosphere all evening again.

Soon, they reached the foyer, with Francis quickly showing their tickets before they walked in. The French man took her hand and helped her up some steps to their assigned seats. Iryna settled down comfortably, while Francis sat beside her and slipped his arm around her shoulders. The sound of popcorn falling onto the floor and rolling around behind them was masked by the beginning titles of the film.

For a while, Iryna sat quietly, enraptured by the music and the introduction, but then she frowned slightly and leant closer to Francis. "Are there subtitles?" She whispered anxiously, hoping they hadn't wasted their money as something dawned on her. The film was in French, which she didn't speak or understand.

"Oh..." For a second, the Frenchman was taken aback that they hadn't thought of that earlier, but his upbeat attitude returned as he concocted a solution for her. "Don't worry, Chérie, I will translate for you!" He told her, still leaning in close to talk quietly in her ear, not wanting to disturb the other Cinema-goers.

So Ukraine smiled, nodded and tilted her head so that she could easily listen to Francis and enjoy the visual side of the movie too. It worked pretty well, although Francis started to be quite dramatic, assuming the voices and tones for the roles, even throughout the emotional, serious or romantic scenes, and it started out seriously, but the two Nations both ended up laughing so hard that they, probably fortunately in the circumstances, couldn't make any sound at all, although they seemed to still be causing some disapproving people behind them to start muttering crossly.

Nonetheless, they enjoyed themselves and as they filed out of the screen room at the end of the film, Iryna was still grinning, "Well...That wasn't what I expected. It was fun though." She commented.

France smiled in return, gently taking her hand, "That's good, finding love should be fun, oui? Shall I walk you home now?" He replied as they wandered into the foyer.

The Ukrainian woman considered this. It wasn't that late and she was having fun. Why should they go back now? Besides, with a bit of luck, if Francis insisted on going to the house, it would be when her overprotective siblings were asleep or at least when their daughter was asleep so they wouldn't want to make a lot of noise and trouble her. "Well, all that laughing has made me hungry, could we get something to eat first?" She answered, remaining diplomatically polite about her reasoning.

She suspected that Francis probably knew that she had other reasons in mind too, but he didn't feel the need to say so, merely smiling graciously and nodding as he answered, "Oui, I think they have a café here too. Shall we go?"

Iryna nodded in agreement and the couple walked across the foyer to the small, informal in-built café. It _was_ fairly late, the Ukrainian was forced to admit to herself as she noted the near-emptiness of the diner. Even the staff were elsewhere, presumably in the kitchen area, sorting out orders for the three other people in the place.

After standing in the doorway for a few seconds, looking around to make sure that the place was actually _open,_ they wandered on in and sat at a nearby table. Iryna picked up a menu and began to browse it as they waited, but Francis suddenly speaking made her look back up. "So you enjoyed the film?" He questioned her with a grin.

She responded with a warm smile and a soft laugh, "Yes, it was very good. And quite funny too...I never realised you could do such a good Amélie impression." She answered, in a jovial mood after their running 'joke' throughout the film.

Francis laughed a little too, "Oui, well, I can anything when I put my mind to it. And I had to help the lady in need, non?" He answered with a grin, taking a gentle hold of her hand that wasn't still holding the menu.

 _"Ahem!"_ Blushing slightly, Iryna looked up as someone coughed sharply. A waitress had emerged from somewhere and was standing beside their table giving them a disapproving and impatient stare.

"Are you going to order?" She asked sharply.

"Uh...Yes, we are. I'm sorry..." Iryna mumbled a little timidly, but Francis interrupted her.

"Hold on a minute, Mademoiselle! You shouldn't speak to her like that!" The Frenchman snapped, taking Iryna by surprise with his confrontational tone. She shook her head softly, about to argue that it really didn't matter, but the waitress spun around to fix her steely blue-eyed glower on Francis.

"If you have a problem, _Sir,"_ Her tone was icy and slightly sarcastic now, "Then step this way and I'd be more than happy to _discuss_ it." How is this woman working in service? Ukraine questioned, trying not to gawp at the rude woman. Instead, she gripped France's hand, hoping he'd get the message and not cause a scene...Or potentially, a fight.

He shook her off quite crossly and stood up, again causing Iryna considerable surprise. She'd never seen Francis angry before, and he didn't have a reputation for being confrontational...Unlike certain Nations, especially not with women, but this waitress seemed to have really riled him. "Oui, we should talk about this away from the lady," He agreed, following after the woman and out of the room as the slightly stunned Ukrainian watched their retreating backs.

Once outside, the woman turned to the Male Nation, glaring at him. She reached up and wrenched off her dark brown hair- _Wig,_ Francis corrected his own thoughts. What the Hell was _Belarus_ doing working _here?_ Then it all began to fall into place. Her uniform barely fitted and was badly creased, as though she'd followed them in and grabbed it hastily when no one was looking. With all the disapproving muttering drawing the film, and Iryna arriving in Ivan's car, she'd probably been there the whole time. _Damn, I'm screwed!_ He thought privately, watching the Belarusian nervously.

Dropping the wig on the floor, Natalya shook her head, "I can't believe Sestra didn't recognise me. I'll have to remember that in future..." She muttered, before remembering why she was here and glowering at him again. "Don't think you can get away with grabbing at _my_ Irunya that easily. Just because she wouldn't let me come along, doesn't mean I'm not always watching out for her." She told him firmly.

His Ukrainian date's little sister was quite unnerving and probably armed, Francis noted, but he had been bravely standing up for Iryna and he wasn't going to let Natalya intimidate him out of that, he decided. "I was just holding her hand, being nice and friendly, non? Anyway, we _are_ on a date." He defended himself.

 _"Pssh..._ Like I believe _that_ crock of bullshit!" Belarus scoffed. "Listen, I have a collection of knives and I'm not afraid to use them so just you keep your slimy frog-hands to yourself!" She growled angrily.

The startled Frenchman jumped back a little...Into Ivan, who had suddenly come up behind them. "Sestra? Are you done...looking after Big Sister yet? We should go before the little one wakes up, da?" He sounded strangely nervous, Francis noted. But then Natalya could have that effect on people.

"Hm...Fair point, Brother. One moment." The young woman reluctantly nodded, picking up her wig and wandering off to do God only knew what.

"If _I_ were you, _I_ wouldn't be here when she comes back," Russia suggested surprisingly cheerfully considering the circumstances, then patted his shoulder in what was probably intended to be a reassuring manner. "And don't worry about her, she's not so bad...And you're doing alright with Big Sister." He whispered conspiratorially, before giving Francis a hurried little shove back through the restaurant door.

Francis cleared his throat and straightened out his clothing before approaching the table where Iryna sat, watching him expectantly. "What happened?" She asked, curious and concerned.

"It was nothing, don't worry. We just...talked out the misunderstanding." He told her, not wanting to worry her or tell her her siblings were seemingly stalking them. Especially after picking up on one of the reasons behind her not wanting to head straight home.

"Oh, okay. Sorry if I caused an argument there..." She answered, but the Frenchman shook his head firmly, reassuring her that that wasn't the case. Nevertheless, the couple were forced to admit that it was probably for the best if they abandoned the idea of dinner and walked back to Russia's home.


	8. Successful Relationship Or Sidechick?

Iryna awoke on the morning after her date to the sounds of raised voices from downstairs. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, wondering what on Earth was going on now. With a sigh, she slipped out of bed, grabbed her blue fluffy dressing gown off the back of the down, slung it on and hurried down to find out.

Her Little Sister Natalya was standing in the hall, in front of the front door, her arms folded, glaring out at someone Iryna couldn't quite make out. "And why should I listen to _you?"_ She heard the Belarusian ask, her tone full of scorn.

Then she heard Francis's voice over her sister's, answering her as calmly as possible, "Because I have some important things to say, Madame. If I can't speak to your sister, can you tell her I need to, please?"

Iryna sighed and hurried towards the door. It would be easier, she realised, if she removed her protective sister from the equation for now. Though she knew Natalya meant well, she was oddly over-zealous in matchmaking attempts _and_ overly protective of her sister's heart, which wouldn't make her an easy person for Francis to have to deal with, given the circumstances.

"Francis, wait, I'm here!" She interrupted as she hurried into the hallway. Then she cleared her throat a little nervously under the weight the withering scorn and suspicion in the look her sister subjecting Francis to. She felt a little sorry for him and quickly thought of an excuse. "Natasha, maybe you should go and look after Nastasya? You know if we leave her alone with Vanya for too long she tries to get her hands on the Vodka..."

The Ukrainian trailed off as her sister turned to stare icily at her. Natalya could be very unnerving, even if you knew she didn't mean any harm. She wasn't naturally a cheerful person and seeing her sister's prospective love interest had clearly put the possessive Belarusian in an even worse mood.

Just as Iryna was beginning to think it might be best to back away quickly and quietly, Natalya blinked away the cold glare of suspicion and disapproval, offering her eldest sibling a smile instead. "Good idea, Big Sister. I will be back shortly. Have fun!" She replied, before strolling away innocently, leaving the other two Nations gazing after her in silent, slightly nervous astonishment for a few seconds.

It was France who finally broke the silence, turning to Ukraine with his usual charming smile, having bounced back from Belarus's attempts at interrogation remarkably fast. "Well hello again, Ma Chérie. How are you this morning?" He greeted her casually.

The Ukrainian woman smiled slightly in return. "I'm alright, thank you. I hope you are too..." She told him politely, before adding a little bashfully, "And, uh, I'm sorry if Natalya was a little...hard to talk to just then." Iryna tried to sound reassuring. "She means well."

Thankfully, Francis didn't seem _too_ freaked out. Although unbeknownst to Iryna, this may merely be because, after the night before, he was beginning to get used to the slightly confusing and intimidating Belarusian's attitude. "Ah, I'm well, merci. All the better for seeing you." He told her with a little wink, before adding, "Don't worry about it! It's nice that she's so...dedicated to her family."

Well, he wasn't _wrong...dedicated_ was definitely a good word for Natalya, Iryna reflected, beginning to relax again with that weight off her mind. "Anyway, what was it you wanted to see me about?" She asked, steering the conversation away from her siblings now that the 'issues' there had been dealt with before any more could arise.

"Hm? I just wanted to say that I enjoyed last night, and I hope you did too. Also, that if you did..." The Frenchman smiled and drew a big bunch of roses out from behind his back, presenting them to her, "There should be some kind of follow-up, non?"

In spite of herself, Iryna blushed as she felt her heart fluttering. It had been a very long time since someone had brought her flowers, not counting birthday and 'Mother's' Day gifts from her little siblings. Truth be told, though she had attracted her fair share of arranged 'marriages' as a Nation and flirtatious, perverted remarks as a Female one, especially considering her 'most notable traits', actual attempts at romantic courting wasn't something Ukraine had a lot of experience with.

Flustered, she snapped herself out of those confused thoughts and stopped staring long enough to accept the bouquet, carefully taking it from Francis's hands. "Thank you!" She beamed happily, "I did have fun too...You're right, we should do something together again..." She nodded in agreement, holding her flowers and wracking her brains for date ideas.

Her thought process was interrupted by Francis's ringtone, and he rather sheepishly drew his phone out of his back pocket. "Ah...Excuse me one second, Ma Chérie." He mumbled, frowning at the incoming call notification. He looked concerned, and Iryna later told herself that she wouldn't have listened in if she hadn't been worried because of that.

"Bonjour, Mon Chér!" She heard Francis greet as he wandered a little way away from the door and stood, talking casually but still frowning in evident concern. There was a pause, presumably as the caller spoke.

"Hm? Oh oui, that was a gift. No need to thank me." He smiled. Ukraine listened intently, though the other side of the conversation was beyond her hearing for the time being.

Then she heard Francis laugh, his sky blue eyes anything but jovial as they flickered back to where she was standing. "Well, it's to prepare for our wedding, of course!"

This time the answer was loud enough for her to hear, although, in her state of shock, she wasn't sure if the shriek of _"WHAT?"_ came from the other end of the phone or from her own lips.

As it turned out, Iryna's instincts took over from her bewildered senses, and she whirled around quickly enough to realise that the yelling hadn't been her _or_ whoever Francis was talking to. It had been Natalya, who had never seen why she shouldn't listen behind closed doors. She should have known it was foolish to assume her stubborn sister would just leave when asked to.

Now, the Belarusian was brandishing a knife in her hand menacingly and it was probably a good job that Iryna was between her and Francis. Although in a momentary blur of shock and anger, the Ukrainian was tempted to step aside and let Little Sestra do her worst to the unsuspecting Frenchmen, she hadn't got along as a Nation and parental figure of a family often branded as complete lunatics for this many years without some sense of responsibility even when murder seemed tempting.

Besides, her mind was slowly recovering from the shock and it occurred to her that she couldn't let Natalya run at someone with a knife based on half a phone call and no explanation. History had been full of misunderstandings that had led to dangerous situations, but if she could prevent another one, she would. Especially when things were going _so_ well up until very recently.

In any case, Francis had now hastily ended his call and was very tentatively approaching the Ukrainian woman in the doorway, though he was warily watching the Belarusian behind her. If she needed an explanation, now was probably a good time to ask, she decided. "What was that about?" She questioned, bluntly but a lot more calmly than even _she_ had expected, considering the circumstances.

The Frenchman looked wretched. "I'm sorry, Mademoiselle, I should have mentioned it sooner. I have been trying to put it from my mind," He sighed and pulled a face, clearly annoyance and upset by the whole topic, "But my boss is trying to have me marry that stupid Angleterre again. So I had to send him...My special 'Calendar'. Well, I rose to the occasion, mostly because he gets so amusingly angry about it," Even in the current situation, Francis risked a little grin, "But rest assured, I do not want this, and I did not mean to make you feel betrayed."

Perhaps Iryna was 'too' quick to forgive, as her sister later claimed, but something about the way he described the all too familiar concepts of politicians getting in the way of what Nations wanting and 'disputes' between France and England, with various people trying this farcical method of resolution with little long-term success, certainly seemed believable.

Nonetheless, while she didn't think the romance-obsessed Nation would cheat and lie, she didn't think that they should continue to be involved. At least, not until _all_ other pressing obligations were taken care of. So, though they were able to put hard feelings aside, the two Nations agreed to part ways platonically.

As Iryna bade Francis goodbye and shut the door, she sighed sadly, looking down at the bouquet in her arms. "You should have moved out the way and let _me '_ deal' with him, Big Sister." She heard Natalya growl behind her.

"No, Sestra, no stabbing people, please." She muttered in response. Dating seemed to be difficult enough, without her past dates being attacked and her prospective lovers living in fear of her well-meaning but violently protective relatives.

Fortunately, before Belarus could argue back, Ivan poked his head around the living room door behind the two women. "What's going on now?" He questioned in a tone _so_ innocent that it made the Ukrainian momentarily suspicious. But then, she doubted that Vanya had _also_ been eavesdropping. After all, someone had to look after Nastasya, _and_ Ivan didn't look at all tempted to chase after France and assault him, so he probably was _actually_ innocent, _this time._

While Iryna was curiously questioning her brother's thought process internally, she heard Natalya offering the Russian man an answer. "We need to find Siastra a new date. One that _isn't_ an asshole." Belarus muttered darkly, still twirling the knife in her hand in a worrying manner.


	9. Error: Stress Free Dating Not Found

Iryna eventually managed to convince her younger siblings that none of her dates so far had been 'assholes', as Natalya had so charmingly branded them after the lack of success. She did not, however, succeed in convincing them that they did not need to press on with the matchmaking attempts.

This time, they all strived to minimise potential disasters. Natalya did this by making a list of people she was willing to trust. This would have been _incredibly_ short, were it not for her adoration of her Big Brother. Because of this, she reasoned that anyone Ivan classed as his friends were also her friends, and therefore could _maybe_ be trusted. From there, the Belarusian took note of who, besides her, Moscow and Ukraine, Russia was currently spending the most time with. This happened to be China, so by her somewhat questionable logic, this made him the most trustworthy candidate.

Ivan's attempts to cut down on future failings involved paying a personal 'friendly' visit to Yao after Natalya came up with this plan and making sure they were on the same page. Or at least, that Yao would agree to go on a date with Iryna and that he didn't intend to break her heart.

Iryna couldn't, with her stubborn, insistently 'helpful' siblings, do much about how their matchmaking service worked, but she did take the precaution of arranging the date for a time when she knew Natalya and Ivan had their _own_ date planned, and therefore wouldn't be involved like they had on her date with America. And make sure that any 'follow-up' arrangements would be made via her mobile phone to avoid a repeat of the latest incident with France. The whole dating process would certainly be a lot easier if her siblings weren't going to be around when things went wrong. Or even if they didn't go wrong, knowing how overprotective Natalya and Ivan were.

Arranging the actual date was done via Ivan passing her phone number on to the Chinese man. She had put her foot down and insisted on making the plans herself, unsure of what a date concocted by proxy through her unusual younger siblings might consist of and not considering now a good time to find out.

The trouble was, possibly from not going on many dates regularly or possibly from the sudden influx of them, no exciting new date ideas offered themselves to the Ukrainian and she wasn't sure what to suggest.

In the end, Yao offered to come around after her siblings had left and see if they could come up with anything that they wanted to together then when things would be less pressured and more peaceful for them. Iryna agreed, privately glad of the fact she could relax, knowing that this date would take place in familiar, comfortable surroundings. And _privately,_ too, which was a nice change from the scenes inadvertently made from her previous dates. With no travelling to be done and nothing important to worry over beforehand, she contented herself with changing into her pretty traditional gown, brushing her ashen blonde locks and then settling down comfortably on her Little Brother's couch to await her sibling's departure and her date's arrival.

While she was sitting there innocently, Natalya came running in, brushing her own long flaxen-coloured strands of hair with one hand and rummaging under cushions, tables and chairs as best she could with the other. "Lost something, Sister?" Iryna asked, glancing up curiously.

"Da, Moscow's shoes..." Her youngest sibling sighed irritably. "Big Brother and I are taking her with us...I don't trust babysitters..." She muttered darkly, "But if I turn my back for five seconds, she takes them off."

The Ukrainian stifled a laugh and got up, back to playing the motherly eldest as she shooed her Sister back away to her date preparations and hunted out the discarded shoes. Perhaps her siblings didn't have all the luck. They may be loved-up with an adorable child to prove it but said adorable child provided them with plenty of new and interesting hassles to tackle.

She found the shoes behind the couch and returned them hurriedly to her younger Sister, who wrestled them back onto her daughter's feet. "Spasiba, Siastra." The Belarusian smiled at Ukraine as she finished attending to the youngest family member and turned her attention back to her mirror, straightening a crease out of her deep purple dress and reaching up to tweak her white hair ribbon. "How do I look?" She questioned as she inspected her reflection critically.

In fact, Natalya was going on her date looking much the same as she did on a daily basis, but both her everyday dress and the bow nesting atop of her platinum locks were gifts from her Beloved Big Brother, and Iryna knew Vanya would appreciate the sentimental value when they were out together, so she merely smiled and gave her Little Sister a quick hug, "Lovely, Sestra, of course." She told her sincerely.

For her part, the Belarusian woman hugged her back fiercely and tightly, recognising the meaning in her sibling's honest little compliment and still very grateful for the help and the words, "As do you, Sister!" She told her firmly before pulling away and checking her reflection one last time, "Well, Vanya is just starting the car so it is time for me and the little one to leave." She added, pausing to scoop up Nastasya in her arms, which was quicker and easier than persuading the toddler to keep her shoes on and walk, "Good luck on your date. If there is any trouble...Call us." Natalya advised, her tone of voice a warning to anyone who may be listening and thinking of hurting her Big Sister in any way.

Iryna felt both deeply flattered and grateful to her younger siblings for looking out for her and a little nervous at her Sister's tone, but she merely thanked her and waved to her and her niece merrily as they hurried off. Then she settled down to wait for her date to arrive.

Time ticked by. Ukraine noticed it, but away on their date, Belarus and Russia did not. Natalya had decided that they should go to a local funfair, on the basis that it would be a child-friendly date since they had taken their daughter along too. Natalya had already won the shooting gallery game, while Ivan held Nastasya and wondered whether he should be proud of her aim or nervous because this _was_ Belarus with a gun, after all, and though he loved her, she could still be very scary when she wanted to be.

His concerns had melted away when she had presented her prize, a giant teddy bear, to him with a smile. It was times like these, when he was reminded of his Little Sister's carefully hidden sweetness, that he couldn't help loving her, no matter what.

So the couple were strolling along, arm in arm, with Natalya's other hand gripping Nastasya's and Ivan's holding the prize she'd given him, when the Russian man's phone began to ring. He grumbled and stopped, passing his gift to Natalya and pulling the phone out of his pocket. The caller I.D was his Big Sister's. He quickly answered it, suspicion already brewing in his mind. Why would she call if there was nothing wrong? It was only now that Russia began to notice how long they had been out, an hour at least, and he began to worry too as he hit answer. "Sestra?! What's going on? You're okay, da?" He pretty much babbled into the phone at her.

Belarus didn't hear her Sister's side of the conversation, but she noticed her Brother's expression change as he listened to her and the aura of annoyance forming around him. She heard him tell Iryna not to worry and that they would be home as soon as possible to sort it out. As he hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket, she raised an eyebrow at him questioningly.

Ivan grabbed his gift and her hand again and began to push through the crowds and funfair goers, who wisely didn't object, "Come on, Bela, Sestra needs us!" He urged as they made their way back to the car.

That didn't sound good. Natalya wondered where her nearest knife was. If Big Sister was hurt- She was getting carried away, she reminded herself. She had to find out what had happened first. "Why?!" She demanded to know.

Ivan yanked open his car door much more aggressively than he needed to, muttering darkly under his breath. He threw the stuffed bear onto the backseat. "She got stood up, apparently..."

Natalya clenched her fist. So she hadn't been getting carried away. Where was her knife, anyway? She pondered this as she helped her daughter into her booster seat and did up her seatbelt.

The two overprotective Slavic Nations got into the car themselves and drove home quickly, actually Ivan was probably going a little _too_ quickly, their conversation sizzling with what they considered to be righteous indignation on their elder sibling's behalf.

The Ukrainian met them at the door. She didn't look too heartbroken, because she wasn't, just a little annoyed and disappointed. And worried. She knew how protective her siblings could be and had hesitated to call them, but she had nothing else to do and Natalya _had_ told her she should. Besides, they would have been worse if they had come home to find her all alone.

Even so, as she looked from her Brother's worrying grimace of a grin that suggested to anyone who knew him that he was thinking dark thoughts to her Sister's downright angry scowl that made it obvious to everyone that what kind of thoughts _she_ was thinking, she searched for some reassurance. "So...Uh, how exactly are we going to 'sort this out', Vanya?" She questioned.

Ivan calmed down a little. His Big Sister had that effect on him. She was as innocent as ever and probably wasn't too upset, which was a relief. In fact, it was probably fine. After all, Yao had just not managed to arrive, not actually done anything wrong. So the stormy aura around him evaporated and he tried to think. "I suppose we set up another date, da?" He suggested.

His Little Sister butted in, clearly still angry that anyone dare be so rude as to not show up for a date with _her_ Irunya. "Well, not with any more ill-mannered assholes, we don't! And speaking of which...That one has some serious explaining to do when I find my knives..."

Her siblings exchanged worried glances. "I think it may be best to move on..." Ivan decided, putting an arm around the Belarusian and stroking her back as he tried to soothe her. Iryna managed a highly concerned nod as she watched them. Dating was stressful enough, without these two trying to match-make and 'protect' her from her 'matches' at the same time...


	10. Daydreams And Frustrated Date-Planners

Yao hardly deserved the harsh comments Natalya had made about him, or the threatened violence, as he called the Ukrainian woman with an explanation much later, complaining that he had got lost on the way and apologising profusely.

Iryna was understanding about it but decided it was probably easier for her, and judging by her younger siblings' moods, safer for the Chinese man to avoid setting up a second date. Especially given the profanity a certain Belarusian was yelling in the background of the phone call. So once she had ended the call and Ivan had managed to somewhat calm Natalya down, they were back around the dining room table and the hypothetical drawing board.

The Ukrainian woman was warily watching her siblings as Ivan began to list the 'available' Nations, while Natalya scowled, ready to unleash a disapproving rant at any given moment.

"England?" Ivan suggested.

"Possibly marrying France. Which says a lot about his common sense." Natalya cut in.

Iryna rolled her eyes at the added comment. This could end up just being a long day full of the Belarusian's less than complimentary opinions of all their fellow Nations. She tried to tune out, but could still hear them engaging in a rather heated discussion.

"Japan?" Was the next on the list of suggestions and for a while, Belarus appeared to be considering this.

"He does not trust me. He has travel warnings against me...Just because I wanted to take one little knife through customs..." She muttered after a pause, petulantly dragging up an old grudge she had never got over.

Russia sighed. "Sestra, Dear, if it makes you happy, I will have words with him about that at some point. But it's irrelevant now, da? This is about matchmaking Big Sister, not sorting out your...Issues." He tried to reason with her.

"Hm...Fine. I will let it slide for now. For Big Sister's sake. But afterwards...I need to have a discussion with him." Was Natalya's eventual conclusion to her dilemma. Not wanting to continue that discussion and unleash all Natalya's pent-up rage, at least not while he was still in the room with her, Ivan wisely abandoned that subject for the time being and turned his own attention back to their eldest sibling.

"So, Irunya, what do you think? We can help arrange a nice date for you and Japan, da?" He suggested with a smile.

Well, Iryna mused to herself, at least her opinion was actually being asked for by her over-zealous siblings this time. So they really did mean well. She looked at Ivan's innocent smile as he did his best to do something helpful for her. Even though their endeavours to actually _solve_ the problem she had, quite without considering all these consequences, originally complained of, they had begun to cheer her up and make her feel more loved, even if it wasn't in the way she had hoped and they had planned.

Her heart warmed, the Ukrainian woman returned her Little Brother's smile as she nodded in agreement at him, for once not too worried about the idea of Belarus and Russia arranging her date for her due to her good mood. Besides, the _dates_ themselves hadn't been bad so far, it was more a series of unfortunate coincidences and her siblings' taking them the wrong way and overreacting that had caused the dating problems so far. She was just unlucky and they were just a _little_ overprotective. Especially considering _they_ were the ones who had decided to 'match-make' her in the first place.

But perhaps sooner or later her siblings would be successful in trying to 'help' her. Glancing from Brother to Sister as they determinedly began making plans, it was obvious they wouldn't give up until they got some kind of satisfactory result and _technically_ , they had been more successful with her love life than she was alone, seeing as she had actually _been_ on some dates since they decided to 'help'.

She stood up and slipped out of the room quietly. The two younger Nations were clearly deeply engrossed in their planning now and didn't need her there. She supposed she would go and check on her niece, who seemed to have been quite forgotten in the mist of the match-making, then perhaps take a rest for a bit. Sweet of them as it was for them to offer their help, it'd be nice to take a break from the subject of her love life and the zealous enthusiasm of her somewhat intimidating siblings.

Natalya glanced up as she watched her Big Sister wander out of the room, then turned her attention back to their planning. "So, Big Brother, how shall we organise this date for Siastra?"

Ivan shrugged, unsure, "I don't really know Japan that well, and besides...I'm not a date planner, Nata. You're the one who usually does that. You just drag me along..." He muttered at her, rolling his eyes slightly at her question.

"I do not drag! It's not my fault if you do not volunteer to take me on enough dates so I have to take action myself!" The indignant Belarusian objected, "Anyway, you always have a lovely time once you give in and do what I want." She smiled in a way that Ivan considered slightly unnerving. He wondered if, with that reference, she was thinking of her 'proposal'. Well, one of many proposals, but the one that had actually worked...While it was true that, after his initial annoyance that his own Little Sister would fail to consult him at all and merely resort to political manipulation to arrange a wedding and 'notify' him later, he had talked things through with her and realised they did love each other very much, resulting in several years of marriage which he couldn't honestly say he regretted...

Snapping out of his reminiscence, he had to admit he couldn't see Natalya's approach helping fix their older siblings' love life. He shook his head at her, trying not to let her see his bashful grin at the emotional memories her seemingly unimportant words had sparked, "Da, well, maybe, but that's irrelevant, Bela. We still need to try to plan a good date for Big Sister."

"Hmm...Very well, we can talk about us later, Darling," Belarus eventually agreed, mumbling something under her breath about Ivan 'owing' her another, uninterrupted date at some point. Then she grabbed a notebook off the table and started furiously scribbling plans, while the Russian man watched her, slightly nervous. He could only hope Natalya's scary enthusiasm resulted in something good for Ukraine...And that she _was_ actually planning a date for their sister, rather than making plans to drag him off somewhere again.

He glanced over at her with a look of mild concern, but Natalya's blonde head remained intently bent over her notebook as she wrote as speedily as she could. content that she wasn't about to spring some inane plot on him, Ivan relaxed and let himself lapse back into the memories Natalya's mention of the beginning of their relationship had stirred up...

* * *

 _It was a perfectly normal day,_ _March 25, 1996, to be precise_ _, and Ivan Rusovich Braginsky woke up in normal circumstances. He was still in his own bed, exactly as he had gone to sleep, and the house was still unchanged and silent. In many ways, the silence bothered him a little, making him feel very isolated and alone, but in one way, it was a comfort. It meant his Little Sister hadn't invited herself over in night again._

 _It wasn't that he didn't appreciate Natalya's thoughtfulness and the fact she came every single day to keep him company, but he was getting fed up of having to repair the door after she for_ _ced it open. Besides, she didn't_ just _come to keep him company. She_ _came to make the insistent, never-ending demand of him. The demand that told him to marry her._

 _He didn't understand his Little Sister anymore. Once, in a long-ago era he could just vaguely remember, she had been a normal sister and one of his few close friends. Then she had slowly become more and more obsessively_ _clingy. And from somewhere in the strange depths of her mind had arisen the idea that she should marry her own brother._

 _Why? He wished he knew that. Why would she want to marry him? According to the majority of the rest of the world, he wasn't a very nice person and would most likely break his Little Sister's precious little heart. So she confused and scared him with her insistence. Why did she want to put herself at su_ _ch a risk? What had he done at some point that had driven her to this strange madness?_

 _She chased him, chanting and waving weapons around, just for what? To get upset be_ _cause he didn't love her the way she wanted him to._

 _And in the quiet priva_ _cy of his own thoughts as he lay in bed, Ivan wondered about_ that, _too. How_ did _he feel about Natalya? Obviously, there was no chance that they would ever be together. She was his Little Sister and he wouldn't see her heartbroken. She deserved to marry someone who would be a good husband...And he didn't think he_ _could do that if everyone around him always left. There must be some problem with him that meant it wouldn't work._

 _But beneath that...He was aware that he cared deeply for Natalya, as a sibling and as a friend. When she wasn't being too...extreme in her attachment to him, their personalities balan_ _ced out and they got on very well. There was also a small part of him that had to admit that she was a very beautiful woman. If she wasn't his sister and if he was a better person, a person he'd wish on someone else..._

 _The Russian man growled and shook off those thoughts. That was a stupid and pointless route to go down. He sat up and hauled himself out of bed in a foul mood. This wasn't improved when, after getting dressed and trying to wake himself up properly, he went downstairs to be greeted by a letter from his boss. Seriously, who even sent post to arrive at that time in the morning?!_

 _He snatched it up and skimmed over it, not really paying attention. Then he caught a glimpse of Belarus's name and sighed, backtra_ _cking. What was Sestra up to this time?_

Oh. Oh... _He tried to find a sufficient way to express his feelings and failed, his mind somehow both blank and ra_ _cing at the same time. How had she pulled this off? How had she managed to get her boss and his boss to agree that it was a good idea for them to get married without even_ asking _him?! And how...How dare she?!_

 _He tried to be annoyed, on principle of not being asked, if nothing else. But he was secretly a little relieved. It stopped him having to mooch around thinking about that matter whenever he was in a bad mood and having dark thoughts again. He'd just have to try not to hurt her. While keeping up the pretence the whole world, his poor Little Sister included, had_ _come to believe. That he didn't want any part of this-_

 _Russia's inner monologue paused. The door had just creaked open all by itself. There weren't many people who came to visit him these days, and even fewer who wouldn't bother knocking._ _Either General Winter was sticking around a lot longer and getting a lot more invasive these days, or Belarus had turned up._

 _Still wrestling with a few thoughts on the sudden engagement, he didn't look up straight away. Not until her footsteps_ _came down the hallway, pausing in the doorway. He heard her simple greeting, "Brother."_

 _Now, the Russian looked up, violet eyes landing on his youngest sister. "Belarus. This is your doing, da?" He held up the letter like an ac_ _cusation, still trying to pretend he was annoyed by it all._

 _This seemed lost on the Belarusian woman, who merely smiled slightly and spoke, _"Ah, it reached you. I was speaking with my boss the other day. He was speaking with your boss. Everyone is thinking it is a good idea. We should be married soon, Brother, Dear."__

 _Ivan sighed. "You were never thinking of asking me?!" He said indignantly, or as_ _close to indignantly as he was able to manage with at least half his mind still working out a lot of emotional thoughts._

 _Natalya's face flickered and, shockingly, tears welled up in her eyes. "I did! Again and again...But you never want me." She mumbled, sniffling. Quickly turning away, the Belarusian hid her tears. "If our wedding is not making you happy, I guess I will leave you now. I shall call it off since I cannot please you." She answered._

 _The Russian man's heart beat faster and for a moment he couldn't breathe. Natalya never cried. Ever. Nor did she ever give up, for anything. Could it be he was wrong? For he'd never thought his sister was truly in love with him. He'd always believed she was a confused young girl, messed up by their rather hectic history, and motivated only by loneliness and perhaps encouraged by devious politicians._ _But if he'd only known...He would have married her in a heartbeat._

 _It would have silenced all his inner fears of being left by the Dear Sister he had grown to love and adore almost as much as she loved and adored him, if in a slightly less scary way. He wouldn't worry that if he agreed to marry her, she would end up unhappy, and leave._

 _Knowing she really, honestly meant her_ _constant proposals_ _, and seeing her this emotional over it...It changed everything._

 _She didn't know that though. She needed to. He tentatively stood up and walked to his crying sister, pulling her into his arms._

 _"Da, I know...I'm sorry...I didn't realise, I never realised!" He told her, his voice strained as he tried to emphasise it enough, but never felt he had or could. "I do, Sestra, I do want you. I love you, Nata." He whispered to her._

 _Stunned, Belarus stopped crying and raised her head, Sapphire eyes meeting Amethyst as the siblings stood in surprised silence, only now coming to terms with the truth of their relationship. "Really? Then we can be married...married...married...married...?" She asked softly, the final word seeming to echo as she repeated it, again and again, to stress her point, as she so often did._

 _It was a regular question. Over and over she asked it. But this time was different, special, precious. It changed her life for the very, very best. Because, this time, right here, in reality rather than some sweet dream, Ivan actually nodded. And soon after, on April 2, 1996, they were married._

* * *

"Brother, plans are made!" Natalya's voice broke through Ivan's thoughts at long last when, after several long minutes of writing, she looked up at him expectantly.

The Russian man blushed slightly at being caught daydreaming, especially given what his daydreams had been about. But he smiled at his wife and turned his attention back to her. "Da? Then we should ask Japan...And notify Big Sister that we're finished." He pointed out.

"Hm..." She considered that, and conceded, "Okay then. You go and talk to Sestra. I will send Japan a message. I need to talk to him about the travel warnings anyway..."

Ivan rolled his eyes and began to walk away. He hadn't survived this long around Natalya without learning when to drop the subject and leave her thinking whatever twisted thoughts she was thinking.

Natalya got up too, and for a moment he glanced back nervously, wondering if she was following him around again, but she had just wandered over to the computer. She gave him a questioning look. "What? I will email him. I'm fed up of high phone bills."

"Whatever makes you happiest, Sister, you do that," Russia answered her with an innocent smile as he edged out of the door, avoiding further questions on why he had watched her with suspicion for a few minutes, "I'll go and talk to Big Sister, da?"

Belarus nodded as she typed her login into the computer and opened up her emails. There was the usual tedious junk from various people, a few messages from her boss she really ought to have checked sooner but scrolled past yet again and, as if on cue, an email from Japan.

It was Natalya's curses that brought her siblings running downstairs, and incidentally woke up her daughter. Ivan hurried to attend to Nastasya, while Iryna turned her attention to the irritated Belarusian. "What's the matter, Sestra?" She questioned.

"I can't make plans for you without some moron coming along and ruining them, can I?!" Belarus growled indignantly, jabbing a finger at the screen in a rude gesture. The Ukrainian woman, sure she wasn't going to get anywhere just asking her frustrated sister for more information, peered at the email herself.

Reading the email, intended for Greece but accidentally send to Belarus instead, and gathering that Japan was dating the Greek now, Iryna shrugged. "Oh well, you did your best, Sister, it was a very sweet thought!" She rallied, smiling and hugging Belarus in hopes of calming her down.

Natalya submitted to being hugged without much protest, though she was still glaring at the screen as she muttered through gritted teeth, "Da, and now we'll just have to try _again!"_


End file.
